Grading J.J. McCarthy's first start with the Giants in big win vs. Texans

It was fair to take J.J. McCarthy's New York Giants debut with a heaping grain of salt. Entering for Jameis Winston with his team already down 24 points in the fourth quarter, McCarthy got to play like a man who has nothing to lose — largely against New Orleans Saints backups. And even then, while he certainly made his fair share of big plays, he also made the same sorts of mistakes that led to his falling out in Minnesota.

It's a lot harder to handwave away his performance in Sunday's win over the Houston Texans, though. McCarthy was out there from first snap to last against a talented defense desperate for a bounce-back performance, one that had all week (and some Saints film) to prepare for his specific game. And yet, the former top-10 pick was up to the challenge, completing 20 of 28 passes for 252 yards without a single turnover in New York's thrilling overtime win.

It should go without saying that McCarthy is New York's starter for the rest of the year so long as he's healthy. But how much should Giants fans be buying into his debut? It wouldn't be the first time that the hype got ahead of the reality where the former top-10 pick is concerned; that said, it's hard not to get excited about how composed he looked on Sunday.

Grading J.J. McCarthy's performance in Giants win vs. Texans

McCarthy's performance wasn't overwhelming. Outside of a well-placed slot fade to Malik Nabers in the first half, he didn't push the ball vertically all that often. But he also wasn't asked to on a day when the Giants' ground game largely kept their offense out of bad situations.

What he did do was lead his unit, whether it was identifying rushers or setting protections or living to fight another play. McCarthy took three sacks on the day, but none of them seemed to be really his fault at all. For the most part, he was calm and confident in the pocket, getting rid of the ball on time and using his legs to avoid negative plays when things weren't there. He hardly forced anything all afternoon, but he also didn't play scared; he simply played within the offense, and the bouts of ugly inaccuracy that plagued him with the Vikings were a distant memory.

Take, for example, this throw on 2nd and 17, with the ball backed up deep in Giants territory:

This was always the vision for McCarthy out of college, who has a better arm than his reputation suggests when he has a clear pocket to step into. That ball is inch perfect, to a receiver in Malachi Fields he's still just getting to know, and despite having little margin for error he puts in a place that not only gives Fields — and only Fields — a chance to make the catch but also allows him to get up field for extra yardage.

The Giants didn't ask McCarthy to do much that he wasn't comfortable with; it remains to be seen whether he can grow when it comes to layering throws that require a bit more touch, or whether his feel in the pocket will wane if his confidence gets dinged. But what we saw on Sunday was a guy who has the physical tools to be at least an average starting quarterback in the NFL. Whether it will last is another question entirely.

Grade: B+

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